The National Weather Service issued a high surf advisory Monday as a brewing storm is expected to bring waves up to 25 feet high to beaches along the coastline of Northern California.

In effect from Tuesday morning to Friday at 4 p.m., the advisory warns that breaking waves will likely reach heights between 18 and 24 feet on west-to-northwest-facing beaches between Monterey and Sonoma counties. In some locations, the waves may exceed 25 feet.

High surf can bring rip currents, large shore breaks and sneaker waves onto beaches, spurring the NWS to advise beach-goers never to turn their backs to the ocean.

"The main threat is these larger sneaking waves, hitting once every 20 or 30 minutes, hitting that person by surprise out on a jetty," Peterson said.

The massive waves are churned by a storm system forecast to hit the North Bay on Tuesday morning, before moving into San Francisco by midday, NWS said.

After a brief letup, rain is expected to return again Wednesday night, bringing heavier precipitation and strong gusts to the Bay Area. Another storm is likely to move into the region over the weekend.